JERSEY CITY – Mayor Steven M. Fulop announced that Jersey City will triple the annual number of park projects and invest nearly $6 million in city parks in 2014, with renovations to 13 parks across all wards.

Funding will come from the city budget, and grants.

The city will invest approximately $2.65 million of capital funds from the 2014 budget and will utilize $1.475 million of Green Acres funding, as well as $435,000 in Hudson County Open Space dollars. The city will also utilize $1.3 million of Green Acres funding to acquire the final parcels of lands to complete Berry Lane Park in Bergen-Lafayette.

“Investing in parks in urban areas is key to improving the quality of life for residents and to making Jersey City the best mid-size city in America,” Fulop said. “Since we took office we have been restructuring our recreation department and expanding opportunities and programming. The next step is improving our parks so that all of our families throughout the city have safe and enjoyable places for both passive and active recreation.”

Berry Lane Park is an ambitious project will ultimately transform more than 17 acres of property – including former rail yards, junkyards, auto repair shops, industrial facilities, and warehouse – into a recreational amenity in the heart of the Bergen-Lafayette community. When complete, the project will result in a nine percent increase in the amount of recreational open space in Jersey City.

In the spring, the City will commence on the building out of the majority of the park – Phase III – which will include two basketball courts, two tennis courts, a baseball field, a soccer field, and a playground. These active recreation components will provide opportunities to this neighborhood where more than 60 percent of residents are children under 18 years of age.

Additional passive recreation areas – including a total of 600 new trees a rain garden – will also be included in the park. In November, 73 trees were planted and another 100 will be planted in the fall with the remainder being planted as the park is constructed. The park’s design also considered existing site features that were incorporated into the design.